Clinical Research Studies

Research Oversight at North Mississippi Health Services

Research at North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) is overseen by a group called an Institutional Review Board.

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a group formally designated by an institution to review and monitor research involving humans as subjects.

NMHS has an IRB that meets monthly. The NMHS IRB members include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, a lawyer, risk manager, and community members. This group reviews the science and ethics of the research. Their objective is to assess the risks and benefits to subjects involved in the study.

The NMHS IRB has the authority to approve, require modification to, or disapprove all research activities that involve an NMHS investigator, facility, or patient group. Following initial approval, the IRB conducts periodic reviews of such research.

In most instances, in order to approve research, an IRB must determine that specified criteria have been satisfied. Among these criteria, an IRB must determine that, when appropriate, the research protocol includes "adequate provisions to protect the privacy of subjects and to maintain the confidentiality of data."